


Powerless Hakurei Tales 06: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

by Carmichael_Micaalus



Series: Powerless Hakurei Tales [1]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 20:43:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15714744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmichael_Micaalus/pseuds/Carmichael_Micaalus
Summary: A scarlet mist covers Gensokyo!  Marisa and Reimu are on the case!





	Powerless Hakurei Tales 06: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

**Prologue**

 

In one iteration of Gensokyo, the Hakurei God left before Reimu was born.  Disgusted with Gensokyo, her mother abandoned both her duties and her infant child, leaving Reimu to grow up without her influence.  At the age of 10, she moved into the derelict shrine.

When the evil spirit Mima and her magician apprentice Marisa attacked, they found the shrine to be empty of all power (though very well cared for), and a single young shrine maiden (who offered them tea and crackers).  Mima, claiming that attacking a defenseless child was of little sport, decided to move in and teach her the proper duties of the Hakurei shrine maidens. While Marisa liked to tease her master about being soft, she too had taken an immediate shine to her new little sister and did everything to keep her out of harm’s way.

Reimu herself was overjoyed to have friends to teach her, and spend time with her.  She did her best to follow Mima’s teachings, but with the shrine barren of its god, there was little she could truly do for youkai extermination.  Knowing the god was unlikely to return, the ‘evil’ spirit instead shifted her teachings to diplomacy; figuring the shrine maiden’s unlimited charm and optimistic personality would serve better for such dealings.

While her master taught the shrine maiden how to talk to people, Marisa showed her around Gensokyo and made sure the girl knew never to go anywhere alone.  The magician started to believe her master’s teachings had worked a little too well, as not only did Reimu insist on tagging along Marisa’s extermination runs, but the magician found herself agreeing to do so.

 

**Embodiment of the Scarlet Devil**

 

“Oh…!  You hurt her, Marisa!”  The shrine maiden covered her mouth as the gate guard fell out of the sky.  “I told you to be careful!”

The magician rolled her eyes.  “Oh relax; she’ll be fine. Now...”  She peered around the front of the mansion.  “This seems to be where the mist is coming from, but what’s the best way inside…”  She glanced back at the shrine maiden. “Don’t go far now, okay? Shout if something comes.”

As Marisa began to scout out the front of the mansion, Reimu descended to check out the gate guard.  “A-are you okay, miss?”

The redheaded guard let out a groan as she pushed herself up.  She sat on the ground as she looked up at the Hakurei. “You… are not the one who attacked me.”

The shrine maiden took a quick bow and smiled.  “Yes, that was my sister, sorry about that! My name is Reimu, and I work at the Hakurei Shrine to keep the peace in Gensokyo.  We would have made a proper appointment, but neither of us were certain how to do so. I know the spell card rules prevent the fights from becoming, er, fatal, but I hope you weren’t hurt too badly!”

“Aaah, the shrine maiden; come to stop the mist, then?”

“W-well, we were hoping we could talk to whoever was causing it; it seems to have originated from this mansion.  U-um, a lot of the villagers are worried that their crops will suffer from the lack of sun if this remains for too long, which would be quite disastrous for them.  I’m really sorry to impose upon you, Miss, u-um...”

“...you are simply adorable.”  The gate guard grinned as she stood up.  She glanced to the side as she saw Marisa fly out of view briefly.

“O-oh!  Well, um, thank you!”  Reimu blushed as she stared up at the woman who now towered over her.  She suddenly found herself in the youkai’s arms, the redhead grinning down at her.

“Come with me for a bit, Miss Reimu.”  While the magician was out of sight, the gate guard made her way to the front door of the mansion.  “I bet we could... have some fun.”

“Well, I-”

“If you come with me, you’ll probably have a chance to talk to the one making the mist…”  She opened the door with her foot and carried the girl inside.

“Well, it would be nice if we could solve this without violence…”

“See?  Just come with me, and everything will turn out fine!”

* * *

 

“Reimu?  Reimu?! Where are-” Marisa looked to see both her sister and the gate guard gone.  She looked toward the front door once more just in time to see it click shut. “-oh you son of a gutterslut…”

* * *

 

“Did you _seriously_ abandon your post for this, Meiling?”  The head maid gave the gate guard a flat look.

“Tell me she would not be adorable in a maid outfit, Sakuya.”  Meiling countered, still wearing her infectious grin. “I dare you.”

Sakuya looked down at the girl in the guard’s arms once more; she stared back with bright eyes, but seemingly unafraid.  She pat the girl’s head before turning her attention back to Meiling. “I’m not saying she isn’t cute, I’m saying you need to be at the door in case some...one... attacks…” She blinked and took a closer look at the gate guard’s clothing.  She closed her eyes and sighed. “...they’re already here, aren’t they.”

“Handed me my ass, she did.” The guard nodded.  “Why else would I leave my post? Silly Sakuya…!”

“Um, if it’s alright, I w-”  Before the shrine maiden could continue, the maid pressed a finger to Reimu’s lips.

“Not right now, dear.”  She glared at Meiling. “So where are they, then?”

“A lot closer than you’d like.”  The magician hissed from behind, letting out a shower of alchemical pain.  The maid started to stumble before suddenly disappearing.

“Hi Marisa!” Reimu waved, smiling.  The Magician charged the gate guard, murder in her eyes.

“You look agile!  Hup!” Spinning in a circle, Meiling tossed Marisa her sister before skipping down the hallway.  “Have fun, kids!” She called out, “Let me know when you’re done~!”

“Hmph!”  Marisa snorted in her direction before frowning at her sister.  “Didn’t I tell you to be careful?”

“She said she’d take me to who was making the fog!”  She explained as she was set down. They began to slowly travel down the hallway.  “I wanted to solve it peacefully if I could! Maybe whoever’s doing it doesn’t know what’s happening out there!”

“Yeah, and maybe they wanted to try shrine maiden ‘cause they heard it’s a delicacy.  I don’t like yellin’ at ya, so _please be careful._ ”

“Miss Meiling wanted to make me a maid, I think.  She was telling the other girl I’d look cute in her outfit.”

“That’s ‘cause ya look cute in anything, Reimu.”

The two continued to travel carefully through the large mansion, eventually finding a huge set of double doors.  Picking the lock, Marisa quietly opened the door and peered into the darkened room. A skylight far off in the distance let in some dying illumination, but no one seemed to be present.

“Knives.”  Reimu announced, seeing multiple blades appear out of thin air.  They crashed into a barrier as Marisa turned around, aiming her mini-hakkero down the hall.

Sakuya tsked as she took to the air.  The magician pushed her sister into the room and slammed the door shut.

“Stay safe!” She called as she charged the head maid.

 

The shrine maiden looked around the darkened room.  Faint light off in the distance helped give shape to the objects in the room, but much was still in shadow.  She reached for an orb near the door which began to glow softly as she touched it. Bringing it with her, she soon realized she was in an ancient library.

A large number of the books were in languages she was unfamiliar with, while others were written in words of magic.  Both Mima and Marisa had attempted to teach her magic, but the shrine maiden lacked the spark for their brand of sorcery.  Despite that, she had still picked up bits and pieces of information, learning how to recognize certain spells or effects, even if there was little she could do to influence them.

“I bet they would love this…!” Reimu whispered to herself as she continued through the aisles, staring in amazement.  As she looked to her left, she did not noticed the person coming from the right and collided with them.

“Intruder!”  A voice screamed.  “Thief!”

“I was going to put it back, I just can’t see!” Reimu cried out.  She held out the glowing orb with both hands. “I’m sorry!”

“Er… hrm.”  The person took the light from the shrine maiden and put a hand on their hip.  Reimu could see it was a woman with red hair and businesslike attire. A pair of black leathery wings came out of her back, with another small pair emerging from her head.

“What, you’ve never seen headwings before?”  She snapped as Reimu stared at her. The shrine maiden quickly bowed.

“Ah, sorry!”

“Anyway, what are you doing here?  I know you’re not one of the maids, and you’re certainly not another familiar…”

“I’m Reimu Hakurei, I’m from the shrine at the base of the mountain.  My sister and I came here to talk to whoever is making the mist, as the villagers are growing concerned about it.  I um, I didn’t mean to intrude; do you think you can direct me to who I can talk to about the mist?”

“There’s one more of you milling about?  Crap…” She looked down the aisles.

“N-no, she pushed me in here when the um, maid- Miss Sakuya? I think?- attacked her.”

Hearing the news, the girl stopped looking and began to head back to her original destination.  “Oh; guess you’re an only child then.”

Reimu stared at her in shock before giving chase.  “T-that’s rude! You shouldn’t say such things, miss- uh, miss-!”  She paused and scratched her chin. “Actually, I don’t believe I caught your name…”

The redheaded librarian spun around to face her.  “It’s Koakuma. _Miss_ Koakuma to you.”  She leaned down and poked her on the nose.  “And I don’t care if it’s rude, your sister was an idiot to try and fight the chief maid.  She’s going to get sliced to ribbons and served for dinner, and the same thing will happen to you if you don’t get out of here, got it?”

Tears began to well in her eyes as she scowled at Koakuma.  Before the librarian could blink, Reimu grabbed her by the headwings.  “Don’t say mean things about my sister!”

“Ow!  OW! Let go, you little brat!  OUCH!”

“Apologize to my sister right now, you- you… you _jerk!_ ”

“ _What_ is all the commotion here?”  A tired voice asked from behind the devil girl.  Reimu stopped pulling, but her vice-grip remained as she stood on her tiptoes to look over Koakuma’s shoulder.  An bespectacled woman in a night dress and bathrobe approached the two. She looked to be as exhausted as she sounded.  “Koakuma, if you want to play with your friend, you can tell me in advance, but this is probably not the best of times to do so…”

“I wasn’t playing, master!” She tried to turn around, but found her wings still in the grip of the trespassing girl.  “I was- let _go_ of me, you little-!”

The purple-haired woman turned her attention to Reimu.  “Child, why are you detaining my familiar?”

“S-she said mean things about my sister, miss!”

“Koakuma, apologize.”

“Fine, I’m _sorry!_  Now let go of me!”

The shrine maiden released her headwings and turned to the newcomer.  “Thank you, miss! I’m Reimu, from the Hakurei Shrine.” She informed her, bowing deeply.  “My sister and I came to investigate the fog, we were hoping to talk to the one who created it, as it does not seem to be dissipating, and the villagers are worried about it.”

“Hm.”  She glanced at Koakuma.  “And why were you insulting this missing sister of hers…?”

“She said her sister put her in the library while she went off to fight Miss Sakuya; I just told her the girl was going to get her ass kicked.”

“You said she was going to get ch-chopped up and eaten!  And then you said the maid was going to do the same to me!”

The master covered her face and sighed.  “Your sister will not be chopped up unless she is out there murdering the residents; if she is using the spell card rules, then she will not be killed.  That is why they _exist._ ”

“O-oh.  Okay… okay, good.”  Reimu smiled up at her.  “Thank you, miss.”

“As far as finding who created the fog, that would be me.  I am Patchouli Knowledge, Magician of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.”

The shrine maiden bowed once more.  “It is good to meet you, Magister Patchouli.”

“Likewise, Miss Hakurei.  Unfortunately, I cannot help you at this moment.  While I did create the mist, the one who is in control of it at the moment is-”

* * *

 

“-Remilia Scarlet, owner of this mansion.”  The short vampire stared into Marisa’s eyes.  “I would _appreciate_ it if you returned to me my chief maid; she is the only one who knows how to make the fairies do an honest day’s worth of work.”

The Magician kept her gaze on the winged girl as she tied the unconscious maid to her broom.  “Sorry, insurance policy.” Pulling the pocket watch off of the maid, Marisa flew up to be level with the mansion’s master.  “See, I got people I care about too. One dumb enough to think you could be reasoned with, and if any of your people try to take her hostage, or hurt her…”  Her eye twitched. “Well… it wouldn’t be the first time I made a demon cry in absolute _terror_ before their end.”

“Big talk from someone whose lifespan is so short, so… finite.  Come!” The vampire threw her arms out and sneered. “Let’s see what Fate has in store for you!”

* * *

 

“...I see, so she’s the one that keeps you safe.” Patchouli nodded as they moved deeper into the library.  “As formidable as your sister sounds, it pains me to inform you my friend Remilia is no pushover, either.”

“I was hoping I could maybe talk to her and maybe explain what the problem is so we could take care of this, but…”

Patchouli pat the shrine maiden on the head.  “Tell you what, dear: if they come to blows and your sister loses, I will see if she will grant you an audience and listen to you.  Though she is proud, she is not without reason.”

“Really?  Thank you!”

“Master…” Koakuma whispered on her other side.  “Shouldn’t we be helping Remilia?”

“Do you wish to accost someone who can bring down Meiling and still fight without a break?”  She countered.  “I will send you out first, you know.”

“...then again, Remilia _is_ a greater devil, as she likes to point out all the time; I suppose it would be an insult for us to think she needed help against a single human. ”

Patchouli cleared her throat.  “So, have the two of you resolved a great number of incidents together?”

Reimu smiled.  “Yeah… she’s really helped me out.  It’s supposed to be my job, ‘cause I’m the shrine maiden, but I guess our god left a long time ago, so I don’t have any power.”  She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the magician. “But we’re still able to keep Gensokyo safe, so I guess it’s okay.”

“Have you ever attempted to invite another god to your shrine?”

The shrine maiden thought for a moment.  “Well, I did ask Shinki when we were in Makai, but she-”

Koakuma suddenly looked over her master.  “You’ve talked to the Goddess Shinki?!”

“Y-yes!  Makai had a bit of er… reverse tourism going on a few years ago, we thought it was an invasion.  So Marisa, her master, her master’s friend, and I went to Makai and eventually reached Miss Shinki.  She was very nice!” Her smile waned, but did not disappear completely. “She said she didn’t plan to extend her influence beyond Makai though, since she wasn’t sure if she could protect anything outside of there.  And… I can respect that. She said I could move there, but I didn’t want to abandon Gensokyo.” She looked over at Koakuma. “How did you meet Shinki?”

“I haven’t, but I’m a Makai native.”  The familiar put a hand on her chest. “She’s my god, and I always keep her in my heart.”

“At any rate, here we are…”  Emerging from the sea of books, the three stepped into a clearing.  In the center was a large table; a few books, neatly stacked papers, and other items were at one end, while the rest was rather clean.  A number of chairs surrounded the table; while most appeared to be in good condition, the one closest to the items on the desk appeared to be well-worn.  “You can wait here until we hear word from your friend or mine; I have surveillance spells active, so we will know when this is resolved, one way or another.”  Patchouli let out a sigh as she reclaimed her chair. “Koakuma, you may return to your tasks.”

“At once, Master.”

“Um!”  Reimu gripped the sleeve of Patchouli’s robe.  The magician looked at her.

“Y-yes?”

“Is there anything I can do to help while we wait?  You’ve been really nice, and I’d like to pay you back for that.”

Patchouli looked at her and slowly smiled.  “You know… I believe you can.”

 

“You threw her in the _library?_ ”  Remilia continued to dust the dirt off of her clothes from her failed battle with the human magician.  “You best hope Patche didn’t have any of her experiments running loose.”

“I’m really ‘bout ready to bring this whole fuckin’ mansion down.” Marisa sighed as they entered.  Though the room appeared to be better lit than it was earlier, there was no sign of the shrine maiden.  “I bet that spell is one of the loads this place is bearing; if I just blow it up and kill you fucks, the mist will probably go away on its own.”

“Are you _always_ such a brute?”

“Just when I don’t get my vitamin D.”

“...ah.  I had no idea you were craving… _the D._ ”

Marisa slowly inhaled and clenched her fist as they walked through the library.  Remilia glanced up at her, a shit-eating grin on her face.

“No?  Nothing?”

“I will hurt you.”

“Sorry?”

“Where… is your friend… that knows how to release the mist?”

“Eh; _some_ where in here.  It _is_ a rather large library, after all.”

“Then keep walking.”

“Ah, I think she’s sensed us.”  The vampire motioned to a green arrow appearing on the side of a bookcase.  “This way.”

Minutes later, the two found their way through the bookshelf labyrinth and emerged in a clearing.  Patchouli sat at the table, working on a paper. She glanced up as the two approached.

“...my, I did not expect you to lose, Remi.”  She returned to her paper, scribbling away. “I suppose it is a good thing I am not a betting woman.”

“Ha-haaa… yes, I underestimated the girl; put up a good fight, she did!”  She stretched her arms as Marisa stared at an undefined point in the distance, her face neutral.  “Still, I had fun with that, so no real regrets.”

“Mm.  Indeed.”

“Yes.  At any rate, the brute wants the mist to end.   _Apparently_ she thinks I should just burn alive for half the day.”

Her expression unchanging, Marisa pressed the mini-hakkero against the back of Remilia’s head.  An ominous hum began to emanate from within.

“Of course, I _could_ always use a parasol!” She quickly stated.  The sound emerging from the focus faded as she put it back in her pocket.  “I suppose that _would_ be easier than maintaining the mist constantly…”

“A… familiar idea, yes.”  Patchouli mused. Noticing the ensuing silence, the librarian stopped her writing once more and looked up at the two.  “So… if that is your new plan, why does the mist remain?”

“...about that.  I… can’t seem to recall how to end the effect.”

Patchouli’s eyes slid from Remilia’s chagrined face to Marisa’s neutral expression.  The girl had yet to make eye contact with her, but the librarian did notice a rather impressive vein throbbing on the side of her forehead.  “Well,” She let out a grunt as she pushed herself out of the chair, “it would not do for us to keep our guests waiting. They have been very patient with us, after all.”  She held out a tome to her friend. “Now, you see this?”

“Yes?”

Quicker than anyone expected Patchouli to be able to move, she smacked Remilia on the head with the spine.

“...that smarts, Patche.”

“ _Now_ do you remember?”

“No!”

“Then clearly it did not smart you enough.”  She glanced at the human once more. “Ah, unresponsive.  I was hoping to at least gift her with a laugh. At any rate…”

After a few moments of explanation, all could see the mist disperse from the skylight.  Patchouli gave Remilia a pat on the head for a job well done.

“Your sister should be arriving anon,” The librarian informed Marisa as the vampire bat her hand away, “she has been in no danger during her stay in my territory.”

“That’s… an interesting thing to say.” Marisa stated, finally looking at Patchouli for the first time.  The youkai magician grinned.

“Well, she had informed me of your… troubles upon approaching the mansion.”

“Hm.  So where’s she now?”

“Currently assisting my familiar with some minor organization.”  She motioned the two towards the table as she returned to her chair.  “She did not wish to idle while you were convincing Remilia of her newest folly.”

“Words hurt, Patche.”

“So do spell card battles.”

“ _Well aware._ ”

The two friends paused in their bickering as they heard voices approaching.  All three turned to see Koakuma and Reimu arrive in the clearing. Marisa’s brief smile faded as she saw her sister, wearing an outfit which matched the familiar’s.  She turned back to Patchouli.

“So, does like… everyone here has some sort of fucking dress-up fetish?”  She snapped at her. The librarian tilted her head.

“You do not think she looks cute?”

“Hi Marisa!”  Her arms wide open, she ran over and hugged her sister.  Koakuma walked over and stood at her master’s side, watching the two.

“...jealous Patche doesn’t allow you to hug her like that?” Remilia grinned.

“No, jealous of her ability to run in _heels_ so soon;” Koakuma’s eyes narrowed, “she just started wearing those not an hour ago.”

“Worry not Koakuma,” Patchouli murmured, returning to her writing, “I am certain that one day you, too, will be able to perform such a feat.”

The familiar sighed.  “Master, I’ve never seen you wear anything more difficult than a slipper.”

“Yes, well, _I_ love my ankles.”

“-so… what’s with the getup?”  Marisa asked. Reimu’s eyes sparkled.

“Magister Patchouli said if I helped out from time to time, you and Auntie Mima could use some of the books in her library!  I wanted to see if I could do it, so I helped out Miss Koakuma a bit! It was fun!”

“Hhhuh.”  She glanced at the librarian, then back at Reimu, an eyebrow raised.  “‘Magister’ Patchouli, eh?”

“Well, that _is_ the correct appellation for a Magician.”  Patchouli smiled softly.

“How come I’m not ‘Magister’ Marisa, then?”

“That’s ‘cause you’re my sister!”

Marisa blinked in surprise, then smiled at Reimu.  “Yeah, I guess that _is_ a better title, eh?”  She ruffled Reimu’s hair.

Patchouli glanced at Remilia.  The vampire looked back at her friend.

“... _what?_ ”

“Nothing at all, nothing at all…”

“Well folks, as fun as this has been…” Marisa got out of the chair and wrapped an arm around Reimu’s shoulder, “I think it’s time we hit the road.”

“We live at the Hakurei Shrine, please come and visit!”

“...and we’ll see you later, I guess.”

* * *

 

“For the future, Reimu…” Marisa started as they flew back to the shrine, “please don’t invite vampires to the shrine.  It’s… really kinda the last thing you should do with a vampire, aside from pulling your hair back and sticking your neck against their mouth, anyway…”

“Why?  She seemed nice!”

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause you didn’t fight her!”

“Why would I have fought her?  I wanted to talk to her!”

Marisa held up a finger and paused.  Reimu waited.

“B-but if you had-”

Reimu stared at her.

“...gods dammit.”  She sighed and lowered her hand.  “Just- _please_ be careful of powerful youkai like that?”

“I am!”  The shrine maiden rest a hand on Marisa’s shoulder as she landed on the broom, sitting back to back with her.  “That’s why I always go with you.”

Marisa grinned.  “Flattery will get you nowhere… but thanks.”

Reimu smiled as she watched the sunrise; with another incident solved and new friends made, it looked to be a good day in Gensokyo.

* * *

  


**Flandre**

 

“Nuuu!  Marisa…!  Don’t hurt her…!”  Reimu watched from behind a column as their librarian friend fell to the ground.

“Relax, she’ll be fine…” The ordinary witch shook her head as she descended near her opponent.  The shrine maiden ran up to the two.

“You always say that!”

“I’m always right.”

“This… is not… a day for playing around!”  Patchouli grunted as she pushed herself from the ground.  All around the mansion, the lights turned a dim red as a klaxon began to blare.  The librarian’s eyes widened.

“So… what’s goin’ on, anyway?” Marisa asked calmly.

“You fucking idiot!”  Patchouli snapped. “Do you have any idea what you have unleashed?!  For what purpose have you even come?!”

The human magician, not fully understanding what was occurring, grinned at the youkai’s antics.  “Eh, your bud was over at the shrine, and sent us over here when she saw the rain clouds. I mean, if we knew you were going to cry up a storm from missing her, we would’ve invited ya!”

Reimu felt someone tap her on the shoulder.  She turned around to see a blonde girl waving her towards an open door.  The shrine maiden glanced at her magician friends bickering; deciding it was best not to interrupt them, she followed the iron-winged girl.

“-look, I would’ve told ya earlier, but you kinda greeted us with an attack, so I figured ‘hey, sort it out later,’ you know?”

“For the love of _fuck_ , all you would have had to do is br-” motion caught Patchouli’s eye; looking over, her blood ran ice cold.  “ ** _REIMU, NO!_** ”

The door slammed shut.

* * *

 

“Why are you here?”  Mima asked as she stumbled out of the bedroom.

“And a good afternoon to you as well.”  Remilia sipped her tea, sitting at the table by herself.  “There seemed to be some trouble at my home, I suggested Marisa should  investigate.”

“If there’s trouble at your shack-”

“Mansion.”

“-then why are _you_ here.”

“Because there was _rain_.”

Mima floated towards the door, throwing it open.  Remilia immediately tumbled to the side.

“It’s sunny out, you _dumbass._ ”

“It was raining at the mansion, _shut the door!_ ”

Slamming the door back shut, the spectral mentor settled in at the table.  “Swear to the gods, vampires are the most useless things. ‘Oh, we’re so powerful!  Unless, you know, there’s weather of any sort. Or water. Or a big splinter. But get us in a pitch black, humidity controlled room and… _watch out!_ ’  Cripes.”

“Oh yes, that’s rich, coming from a ghost that just tripped.  How did you do that? You have no feet.”

“Years of practice, kiddo.  So,” She poured herself a cup of tea, “what do you think’s going on there?”

“Eh, hard to say.  Perhaps one of Patche’s experiments decided to run wild.”

“Patche’s exper- okay first off, would they be held back by rain?  And second, she doesn’t seem to be that careless.”

“I don’t _know_ , I’m not some crazy mage.  I mean, if it wasn’t something of hers running loose, then what else cou-”  Remilia paused, then slowly set down her cup.

Mima took a sip of her tea, giving the vampire an intense glare.  “...is Reimu going to be in danger there?”

“...who said Reimu left?”  She winced internally, realizing the flimsiness of her lie too late.  The ghost refused to dignify it with a response. “It… depends on what the problem is, but Marisa should be capable of keeping her safe.”

“You… are going to tell me just what you think is going on over there…” Mima pushed herself up from the table, her wings unfolding, “or you are going to become _intimately_ familiar with the reason why I am an _evil spirit._ ”

“I… have a sister.”  Remilia sighed.

* * *

 

“Nice to meet you, Miss Flandre!  I’m Reimu.”

“You’ve… been over here before.”  The blonde girl peered up at Reimu.

“Yep!  My sister and I came over before, when the red mist was covering Gensokyo.  I don’t think I saw you then; I’m sorry if I missed you!”

“Ah, you were the ones that beat Remi.”

“Well, that was my sister,” the shrine maiden grinned sheepishly, “I’m no good at fighting.”

The vampire glanced towards the door and grinned.  “Hm… she seems like she’d be fun to play with.”

“Well, I’m sure she’d be willing to do a spell card battle if you’d like!  Do you want me to ask her for you?”

“Hm, nah.”  She turned away from the door and started walking, motioning for Reimu to follow.  “I don’t wanna deal with Patche right now.”

“Why is Magister Patchouli after you?”

“Magis-?” She gave the shrine maiden a weird look and shook her head, “Patche’s after me ‘cause I broke out of my room.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Yeah, she… doesn’t like that.”

“Why did you break out?”

“‘Cause I wanted to go outside.”  They passed through another room; Flandre slapped a charm against the door and continued on.

“Well, it _is_ pretty sunny out right now.”

“Pft!”  Flandre rolled her eyes.  “The weather doesn’t matter; it could be a clear night and they wouldn’t let me out.  They don’t let me leave the house.”

“W-what?”

The vampire glanced at Reimu, surprised at her concern.  “They um, they don’t let me leave.” She found herself becoming self-conscious from the shrine maiden’s attention.

“But why?  Why would they do that to you?”

“‘Cause of my power.  I can destroy anything.”  She held her hand out to the door further down the hall.  Closing her hand, the doors suddenly imploded, splinters and sawdust falling to the floor.

“Wow!”  Reimu raised her eyebrows.  She looked back at Flandre as they continued on, stepping over the debris.  “So… what, they’re scared you can do that?”

The blonde girl shrugged.  “I guess. I mean, it works on anything.  Wood or metal, person or monster; it does the same to any without a problem.”

“Have… have you used it on people?”

She shrugged.  “A few times, long ago.  I didn’t know what people _were._  Heck, I didn’t even know what _I_ was doing.  They were just things that were moving, then I did my thing, and they stopped.”

“...oh…”

“And after that, they locked me up.  For 495 years.”

Reimu stopped.  “W… what…?”

Flandre turned back to her.  “That’s how long I’ve been stuck inside.  I’ve gotten out of my room a number of times like now, but I’ve never actually made it ou- _why are you crying?_ ”

“Th-that’s horrible, to l-lock someone up like that!”  She tried to wipe away the tears, but they continued to fall.  “I-I’m sorry, no one sh-should have to- to be trapped like that!”

“It’s… just how it’s been.”  Flandre mumbled, feeling awkward.  She was unused to seeing people cry, least of all over her.

“That doesn’t make it okay for them to do!”  Reimu shouted.

Before Flandre could respond, the door ahead of them burst open.  Marisa and Patchouli charged forward. Realizing what was unfolding, Reimu grabbed her vampire friend and turned her away, shielding the girl from the two.

“Reimu, no!”

“Get away, she’s danger-”

“ _Stay away from Miss Flandre!_ ”  Reimu screamed back.  The two stopped, completely shocked.

“R-Reimu, please…” Marisa started; the shrine maiden shook her head, hugging the girl tightly.

“No!  T-they’re just going to lock her up again!”

“Miss Hakurei… I am afraid you are unaware of how dangerous Lady Flandre is.”  Patchouli stated, trying to get on the other side of her.

“She showed me her power!  She told me what happened, she- she didn’t know any better back then!”

“Patchouli, if she fucking harms my sister-”

“I am trying to prevent that very thing, Marisa-”

Flandre glanced at the two magicians, then at the shrine maiden holding her, shaking with anger and fear.  Despite the girl’s bravado, she knew the shrine maiden’s plan did not carry beyond acting as a shield; there was no way the girl would be able to help her escape.  The vampire closed her eyes and sighed, slowly returning the embrace.

“It’s okay, Reimu.”  She whispered softly.

“Please d-don’t give up, Miss Flandre.  I-I’m sure we can-!”

“No, we can’t.  Patche’s too smart to let us escape.  But thank you.”

“If- if she’s so smart, then why doesn’t she think of a better solution than this!”

Despite the situation, Flandre found herself laughing softly.  “I… I can’t tell you, Reimu. She’s the smart one, not me. Come on.”  She gently pushed the shrine maiden away, looking up at her face. “Thanks for sticking up for me.  You’re the first person to do that for me.”

“N-no, Miss Flandre!  Please!”

Patchouli placed a hand on Flandre’s shoulder.  Before she could reach out, Marisa grabbed her sister from behind.

“Let us return now.”  The two turned away and walked down the hallway.

“Miss Flandre!  Miss Flandre!” Reimu struggled against Marisa, but was unable to escape.  “How- how _dare_ you do that to her, Miss Patchouli!  She’s your family! Your f-family! You’re a monster!”  Unable to yell anymore, the shrine maiden broke down into sobs.

 

The ride home was quiet.  Marisa flew slowly, holding her sister in her arms.  She no longer cried, instead nursing both a headache and heartache.  The magician had said very little; she knew there was nothing she could say to cheer her sister up right then, and whatever words which could work were beyond her knowledge.

* * *

 

“Ah, looks like- hrm.”  While Mima could sense both of them were alive and healthy, she could also feel the emotional pain coming from outside the shrine.  Reimu quietly slid the door open, wiping her reddened eyes with her sleeve. “...welcome back; are you okay, sweetie?”

Without looking at anyone or saying anything, the shrine maiden walked to her room and closed the door.  Moments later, Marisa entered.

“Is everything alright?”  Remilia asked the magician.  Marisa looked down at the vampire for a few moments, her face unreadable.

“...you should go now.”  She stated in a deathly calm voice.

Remilia realized she was one wrong word away from disaster.  “...very well.” Giving Mima a slight nod, she fetched her parasol and took her leave.

“...Is Reimu okay?”  Her mentor asked. Marisa sighed and shook her head.

“She- a few things happened that… broke her heart.”

* * *

 

“Ah… Flan escaped again.”  Remilia sat next to her friend in the library.  “That shrine maiden’s lucky she wasn’t killed.”

“Mm.”  The librarian looked at her page of notes.  She had been unable to write anything since returning from the basement.

“...sorry she yelled at you, that really wasn’t fair to you.  I should have been here to bear the brunt of that.”

Patchouli pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.  “It was akin to being lambasted by a kitten.”

Getting out of her chair, Remilia sighed and pat her friend on the back.  “I think I’m going to turn in for now; you should probably do the same. Thank you again for that, and… try not to let what she said get to you.”

“...thank you.  Sleep well, Remi.”

The mansion was quiet as Remilia walked through the halls.  While the evening was typically when her home saw the most activity, very few of the fairy maids would set foot out of their rooms when word of a Flandre Escape Attempt was made known.

The vampire paused at an intersection.  Far off in the distance she could hear the chatter from her gate guard and chief maid, cataloging the damage to their home dealt by her little sister.  While most of the reconstruction would be handled by Patchouli the next day she felt healthy enough to do so, the magician still needed to know how much would require fixing.  From what the owner of the mansion had seen however, the damage was rather minor compared to all other escape attempts. Turning away from the bedrooms, Remilia sighed and began to head towards the basement.

* * *

 

“How is she today?”  Marisa asked as she sliced a piece of bread from the loaf.  Mima shook her head.

“Still quiet… she ate breakfast though, so she’s doing a little better.  I asked Ruukoto to sit with her for now; she… well, she knows how to how to keep her safe without bugging her.”

“Arright.”  The magician sighed and shook her head.  “Poor little empath.”

“Her god may be gone, but she still loves all of Gensokyo, and all who reside within.”  The ghost scratched the back of her head. “I’ll see if she wants to help with shopping later, that usually cheers her up.”

There was a knock on the door.  Cramming most of the buttered bread into her mouth, Marisa cracked open the door to see Remilia.  She glared down at the vampire.

“...the fuck _you_ want?”

“Well, ideally I’d like you to step aside so we can escape the Daystar’s wrath.”

“Who’s ‘we’?  Got a mouse in your pocket?”  Still standing in the entryway, Marisa cracked the door open wide enough for her to see the rest of the vampire’s entourage.  “...hhhuh.”

* * *

 

Reimu sat at the back of the shrine, looking over the yard.  She leaned against the shrine’s robotic maid; Ruukoto held the shrine maiden close with a hand on her shoulder.  Though she was no longer crying, she still felt a pain deep in her gut from the previous day. Part of her felt regret for yelling at Patchouli; while she had known the magician youkai for only a month, she had become a good friend to her.  However, when she thought of Flandre, she could not understand how her friend could do such a thing.

Marisa and Mima had tried to explain to her there were many things they did not yet know about the whole situation, but Reimu had not been in a state of mind to listen.  They had told her to try and rest, and they would see what they could do to help the shrine maiden in the morning.

The two could hear some commotion from inside.  Someone came into the backyard and closed the door behind themselves before sitting next to Reimu.  They remained quiet for awhile.

“Your shrine’s pretty small.” A familiar voice noted.  “But I kinda like it.”

Reimu slowly turned to see the blonde vampire sitting next to her.  She looked at the shrine maiden and smiled.

“Hello~”

“Miss Flandre!”  The shrine maiden immediately latched onto Flandre, hugging her tightly.

“Ha ha ha!  It’s good to see you, too!”  She smiled as she returned the hug.  “My uh… my sister came down to my room last night, after Patche fixed the door.  She said if I started up my studying again, she’d let me come out with her sometimes.”

“Really!?  That’s great!”

“Yeah!  She said she doesn’t want me coming out too much until I learn more about the outside world and stuff, ‘cause it’s dangerous… but she agreed to bring me out today, to show she meant what she said.”  The two looked up as a darkness passed over the yard; clouds started for form overhead. “Right now Patche and uh… that one green haired girl…”

“Auntie Mima?”

“Yeah!  They’re making clouds so Marisa and I can have a spell card battle.  We’re gonna have it back here if you’d like to watch.”

“Okay!”

 

The clouds glowed with danmaku as the two fought fiercely.  Patchouli let out a grunt as she sat on the deck next to Reimu.  The two watched the fight in silence for a bit.

“When… I first moved into the mansion, some eighty-odd years ago, Flandre was already being detained in the basement.”  She started quietly. The shrine maiden turned her head slightly to show she was listening, but kept her eyes on the fight.

“Remi had asked me to teach her… well, most everything.  About the outside world, right from wrong… everything. She had no interest in any of it, though.  It… almost cost me my life, that first time.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“So, every few years, we would try again.  Sometimes she would stay with it for a few days, but eventually she would return to not wanting to listen.  Along the way, some of the lessons would stick. She eventually learned it was not good to use her powers on other intelligent beings, but in doing so she also realized it was an effective way to get us to leave her be when she grew weary of the lessons.”

A master spark went off, taking out a couple of Flandre’s clones.  Patchouli winced in sympathy.

“We have never been certain if she was simply saying she would use her power on us to make us leave, or if it was a legitimate threat.  None of us wished to find out. Such threats are the main reason all the maids employed are fairies. ‘Though her power may destroy their bodies, being as how they are fragments of nature, they will eventually return.”  Patchouli paused for a moment, frowning. “Of course, being as they are fairies, they are rather adverse to conventional methods of cleaning as well. Bit of a Catch-22, I suppose.”

Reimu smiled softly; she had commented how the maids seemed to always be off-shift before, much to Remilia’s chagrin.  She finally understood why.

“Yesterday, when I saw you leave with her, I-”  The magician paused, trying to compose herself. “...I was… I was afraid that would be the last time I saw you alive.  But in the short time you were with her, not only did you live, you befriended her. And she was willing to turn herself in so you didn’t get hurt.  Flandre has never done that before.”

She fell silent for a moment as they continued to watch the fight.  Marisa had the advantage, but the vampire was clearly having fun.

“At any rate, Remilia paid her sister a visit last night.  According to her, before she had a chance to ask, Flandre _requested_ to be taught.  She asked if it had something to do with you.  Flandre said she’d like to see you again.”

Patchouli reached over and gently put a hand on Reimu’s shoulder.  Finding no resistance from the shrine maiden, she pulled her close.

“Th… thank you for befriending Flan.”  She whispered. “I think the rest of us had unconsciously given up on her.  You made us realize that.”

“...I’m sorry for calling you a monster.”

Patchouli chuckled.  “Friendship can be a curious thing; I have been called far more vile things in my life, but your words cut me the deepest.  They made me wonder if I was truly doing the right thing.”

“Marisa and Auntie Mima tried to explain to me why you guys were doing that last night, but… I couldn’t get it.  I wasn’t really ready to think about anything at the time, though.”

“I imagine they have already witnessed many of the horrors which may occur in life.  I… am sorry you had to see a glimpse of that from me.” She glanced down at the shrine maiden.  “So… are we friends again?”

Reimu looked at the magician and smiled.  “Yeah.”

“Good.  I was uncertain how I would put up with Marisa without you there to stabilize her.”

Reimu continued to watch the fight wind down to an end with all the others on the deck of the shrine.  Surrounded by her friends and family, all was well in Gensokyo once more.


End file.
